Heavy Head (Book 4: Battle Series, The Originals)

Ch. 9: Queen Death

Marcel and I were talking in his apartment about the recent development of his girlfriend Sofya getting possessed by the Hollow and trying to save her.

"All right, we'll check again, and when we do find her, we take her on together," I told him. "You know that the element of surprise always works. I'll help you get your girl back."

Marcel smiled, patting me on the arm. "Seems we can be best friends like brothers again after all, huh?" We both chuckled. Marcel returned serious, focusing his senses to tell that someone was outside the double doors. "You can come on in, Klaus." Klaus opened the double doors, walking inside. "To what do we owe the displeasure?"

"I thought we had a truce," Klaus told us.

"We do," I told him. "If we didn't, we might've responded differently when Davina tried to sacrifice you."

"And does our truce extend to my brother, despite your extensive grievances?" Klaus asked.

'Well, yeah," Marcel answered. "We want to get Sofya back and stop the Hollow. As long as you guys want the same thing, I don't see why we can't play nice. Why? What's wrong?"

"Well, Marcellus, far be it from me to jump to conclusions, but the last time anyone saw my brother, he was on his way here to talk to you," Klaus told him.

"And you think we have him?" Marcel asked. "Seriously?"

Klaus criticized Marcel for a moment to determine if he was lying or not, looking at me to determine if I knew anything, but neither of us did. "No, I don't. But I'd like to know who does."

  **** 

The Hollow, possessing Sofya, had attacked Vincent at the church and said that she had Elijah dying of the cursed thorns, that he was the sacrifice that would bring her to life, and that she wanted the final bone she needed to resurrect herself. 

Still in Marcel's apartment, Marcel and I were sitting on a couch.

Klaus walked in, hanging up his phone. "Freya informs me your mate Vincent has a plan. Just one tiny problem. I don't trust him."

"All right, Vincent helped us keep the peace for five years," I told him. "He knows the Hollow's power, and he is our best shot at coming up with a plan."

"I have a plan of my own," Klaus told us. "We find this thing and its acolytes, we slaughter the lot of them. And then stack their bodies into a monument dedicated to those who would threaten my family."

I nodded skeptically and sarcastically. "Right, right."

"There's just one problem with that," Marcel told him. "One of those bodies would be Sofya, and I want her alive."

Klaus sat down across from us. "Please, Marcel. It's not a time to be sentimental. This is New Orleans. Toss a few beads. You'll find another girl."

"That is the problem with you and your family, all right?" I asked. I stood, pointing at Klaus. "You'll do anything to save your brother, but to hell with anyone else, right? It all seems a little familiar."

"The Hollow is evil, yes," Marcel told him. "Do we want to defeat it? Yes. But I'm not willing to stand by and watch someone that I care about become more Mikaelson collateral damage."

"Oh, spare me your sanctimony," Klaus told him. "It was your refusal to make peace that led Elijah here last night. If you two had settled your differences--"

Marcel pounded his hand on the table. "Enough!" He walked around the desk toward Klaus. "The only reason why you are still in this city is because I allow it. Now, do you want to fight me, or do you want to find a way to end this?"